UPDATE: November 22, 2009 (Calgary, Alberta) — The occupation of Environment Minister Jim Prentice’s Calgary Constituency office that began at 10:00 am this morning has ended after 8 hours in arrests. 7 citizens were arrested by police and charged with criminal mischief. The group wished to issue the following statement:

“We like 75% of Canadians recently polled are embarrassed by our Environment Minister’s position on climate change. We have talked with Minister Prentice but the Minister still refuses to act to stem the human costs of climate change or turn Canada from a climate laggard into a climate leader. We have been delighted by the show of support by community members in Calgary and hope that Canadians continue to stand-up and push for climate justice.”

“Letter writing, rallies, meetings, and phone calls are all important actions and we have taken them all. We have met with Minister Prentice before, but our Government’s inaction indicates that these tactics are not enough. After decades of talking we see only more inaction. We must step up the pressure, so today we engaged in peaceful civil disobedience, like those before us, to ensure we do our part to solve the greatest environmental and economic threat of our time. We were willing to stand up and fight for the next generation and those most vulnerable to the climate crisis we just wish we had a government that was willing to do the same."